the end of an era (I hope)

So I have worked at America's favorite Australian themed restaurant for a long, long time. It saw me through my formative young adult years. As in since I was barely legal. As in nearly a decade. I can honestly say, I would not be where I am today without said craptastic workplace. I would not know a great majority of my near and dear friends. I would neither know nor be married to the husband if not for said restaurant. So in that respect, it has rewarded me greatly.

However, that place has also been the bane of my existence. I have (several times) sworn to never work there again. I was arbitrarily "fired" during college because the boss didn't like me. Seriously.....the reason given for my "firing" was actually something that a co-worker did and freely admitted to doing without punishment....yet I was still "fired." When the other manager (the one who didn't fire me) found this out and offered me my job back, I quit out of principle.

I worked elsewhere for two years and, after I graduated from college, I hoped to never work at the corporate-whore pseudo-Australian restaurant ever again. And then I was unemployed in a new city for nearly 6 months. I gave in. I went in for the "transfer" hire and have been there for a year and a half. Well, my friends, that might be ending soon. No, not because I have an awesome new opportunity on the horizon. And no, not because I'm moving in the somewhat near future. I may potentially be getting FIRED because of one (rude-ass, redneck asshole) pissed-off-for-a-nonexistent-reason customer. Someone who cursed at me for no reason and lied to me. Then complained to my manager because I reacted in a pseudo-concerned way, that she took as me "trying to be funny."  And now (even though I almost want them to release me from this purgatory of restaurant hell that I seem to be trapped in) my job is in limbo. REALLY? Yes, really.

Customer service sucks balls. I have played the "the customer is always right" game for like a third of my life and, to tell the truth, I am fucking sick and tired of it, because 75% of the time, the customer is trying to scam you to get free stuff. Hint to anyone trying to scam the system: If you complain about ANYTHING, even stuff that didn't happen, at a corporately owned restaurant, you will get stuff for free. They would rather give you free stuff than have you give bad press to your friends.

Although I feel kind of bratty for complaining about my job (while I'm still technically employed), while so many people are out of work, I don't know if I can take it anymore. It is literally the most stressful aspect of my life right now (a life that includes an impending cross country move). It sucks that I NEED to be employed until we PCS in July. Even if I don't get fired, I'm considering taking my expensive and unused college degree and working at a grocery store or something just to make a few dollars and escape where I am now.

In closing, for the love of God, be nice to the people who wait on you - at the post office, in restaurants, in retail, at Jiffy Lube - because they have probably dealt with ten people before you who treated them like shit. Trust me.